Asm. Erik Simonsen

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund, allowing taxpayers to voluntarily contribute to it through their state income tax return. The fund would provide grants up to $2,500 to cover essential expenses like food, housing, and medical costs for eligible military members, veterans, and their families who reside in New Jersey and demonstrate financial hardship. To qualify, applicants must have lived in New Jersey for at least 12 consecutive months, provide proof of hardship, and cannot receive more than one grant per year. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs would administer the program, with funds annually appropriated from the relief fund for these grants.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Commissioner of Community Affairs to create and maintain an annual online list of all state and federal mandates imposed on municipalities and counties that lack full funding. The list must include a cost estimate for local governments to comply with each mandate. It directly affects local governments (counties and municipalities) and ultimately property taxpayers, as unfunded mandates increase local budget pressures. The commissioner must update and post this list annually by July 1st, providing transparency about financial obligations.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Medical Examiners to create a certification process for non-physicians (like licensed estheticians or technicians) to legally perform laser tattoo removal. It mandates that non-physicians must meet specific qualifications, pass approved testing, and complete continuing education to obtain certification. Certification is required before offering these services and must be renewed every two years. The law directly affects non-physician service providers seeking to enter the tattoo removal field, establishing standardized safety and competency requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands requirements for public awareness signage about human trafficking. It adds 10 new locations where businesses and facilities must display the Commission on Human Trafficking's sign, including gas stations, staffing agencies, law enforcement offices, nail salons, and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices. The sign must be 8.5x11 inches, in 16-point font, and bilingual (English/Spanish), containing the national trafficking hotline number. Businesses failing to display or replace defaced signs face $300 fines for first offenses and $1,000 for subsequent violations. The bill directly affects the listed establishments by mandating visible signage to aid trafficking victims.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 32) creates a temporary, bipartisan committee to study New Jersey's historical claims to Staten Island. The 12-member committee - six appointed by the Assembly Speaker and six by the Minority Leader - will investigate colonial land grants, the 1834 boundary compact, and relevant legal history to explore potential annexation pathways. It will examine lawful options for New Jersey to pursue annexation, but only with consent from Staten Island residents, New York State, and the U.S. Congress. The committee will produce a final report and expire upon completion of its work. This is purely an investigative measure with no immediate policy impact.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A-1434) mandates that New Jersey's Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) reopen all state unemployment offices by March 1, 2022, and keep them open during the public health emergency. It directly affects the DOLWD commissioner and senior leadership, who face salary cuts (5% every two weeks for the first month, then 10% monthly) if offices remain closed past the deadline. Funds from these salary reductions will go into a new "Unemployed Workers Compensation Fund." The bill requires a report on compliance within 90 days and expires once all offices reopen.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurers, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), and the State Employees Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) to cover specific mammogram screenings. It mandates one baseline mammogram for women aged 35 and annual screenings for women 35 and older, while also requiring coverage for women under 35 with breast cancer risk factors (like family history) as determined by their provider. Additional tests like ultrasounds or MRIs are covered if needed due to dense breast tissue, abnormal results, or other risk factors. The law applies to all health insurance plans in New Jersey, ensuring these screenings are covered without additional out-of-pocket costs for eligible individuals.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates the use of regional contribution agreements, which previously allowed New Jersey municipalities to transfer portions of their affordable housing obligations to other municipalities. It directly affects local governments that relied on this mechanism to meet their constitutional fair share housing requirements under the Mount Laurel doctrine. The bill removes the provision permitting such transfers (previously listed in section j) and aligns housing policy with the Legislature's 2008 decision to disallow inter-municipal obligation transfers. This change focuses on requiring municipalities to address their own housing needs through local planning, zoning, and funding mechanisms rather than regional agreements. The bill is currently pending in the Assembly Housing Committee.

Maddy summaryThis bill standardizes pension benefits for New Jersey teachers by moving all current non-retired members of the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) into a single benefit tier (previously called "Tier 1"), granting them the same retirement benefits as members who joined before July 1, 2007. It requires public employers to enroll teachers earning above minimum salary but not meeting work-hour requirements into TAPF within 60 days of enactment. Teachers in the separate Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) can automatically transfer their service credit to TAPF for retirement eligibility (but not pension amount calculations), with contributions staying in DCRP; they may opt out within six months of notification. The bill also allows TAPF members with long-term disability insurance to apply for disability retirement within two years of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to create a program providing one-time grants of up to $10,000 to qualified veterans purchasing franchises in the state. It directly affects veterans who are approved by the EDA and operating or planning to operate a franchise at a New Jersey location. Key provisions include the EDA establishing application procedures, prioritizing veterans who apply within six months of the bill's effective date, and requiring grantees to report how they used the funds within one year. The program aims to support veteran entrepreneurs by reducing startup costs for franchise ownership.